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Robert D. Scheper
How to Survive the Trump Administration
When I was a young pup dancing through school, I was a thin scrawny smart A**. My only defense was my speed. I could outrun any bully. Any chance of going toe to toe with the likes of some of my co-pupils were thoughts of delusion. I knew better than that. However, there were times when I couldn’t run; I was cornered or even held down. Still, the thought of me verbally talking back or muscling them around were thoughts that would have handed me a rather short life. Accurately judging your opponent is the best defense in any argument or war. Sun Tsu was very clear on understanding your antagonist.
Working through a Trump Presidency is a classic example of understanding where you belong in the hierarchy. Who holds the leash and who wears the collar? Doug Ford provided a perfect example of how NOT to deal with Trump. Threating a 25% hike in electricity going south was immediately rebuffed by Trump with an ADDITIONAL 25% tariff on top of the already imposed 25%. OPPS! That ‘insult’ may have just ‘moved the goalpost’... again.
Things we know for sure are… Trump does NOT like radical Democrats (Canadian version are called Liberals). His legal justification for changing the USMCA is fentanyl and border security. It very much appears that the current Canadian Liberal government has NO INTENTION of addressing that issue since they would rather be the party to go toe to toe with ‘The Donald’ than address the legitimate concern of our greatest trading partner. To the Liberals... staying in power is more important than solving a crisis. They seem to be putting politics and pride above national success or even survival. This arrogance is allowing Trump to now take over the entire auto industry… and maybe even more.
Trump has an ego the size of the US economy. If he can change the planet to benefit his country… he will. Like him or not, he is a passionate patriot. He will take all the toys he can back to the sandbox of the USA. The more we fight, the more we will lose. For the love of our country… give the man what he wants!
Our country has about 100 Leopard Tanks… place 25-30 on the major border crossings as a show of lethal support for cross-border compliance. Multiply our border agents by 10 times+, multiply the searches for drugs by 20 times+. For the love of our country, show him we care about drug enforcement and illegal border crossings! GET RADICAL! Get serious about what we should have been serious about 5 years ago. Show him WE CARE!
Of course, we have National Pride but now is NOT the time to mouth off to the man in charge. Know our true options because if we go toe to toe… we will probably lose the Canadian Auto Industry… POOF! GONE! Miles and Miles of empty manufacturing plants, hundreds of thousands of jobs and related jobs. It will be decades, if not longer before we can recover.
Something else to consider... when you’re dealing with a bully… we must realize that his attention CAN be diverted… things CAN change at ANY moment. Bullies are only attracted to fights they can win. We will only be in his grasp if we give him reason to keep us there. Our country WILL outlive Trump... UNLESS we insist on fighting toe to toe. Patience and compliance are more valuable than sticks and stones, especially easy and almost
costless compliance. Win an ally - don’t build an army. Give the man a win!
All that said… we will NEVER be the 51st State… where in the world would they put another star? Their flag would be asymmetrical!
Canada needs to elect a party that can work WITH Trump… not for Trump. WITH Trump... not AGAINST Trump. Let’s choose the party that gets us through and beyond this crisis.
Say it with me… NO MORE YEARS! NO MORE YEARS!
About the Author:
Robert D. Scheper is a leading Accountant and Consultant exclusively serving the Lease/ Owner Operator industry in Canada. His first book in the Making Your Miles Count series “taxes, taxes, taxes” was released in 2007. His second book “Choosing a Trucking company” is the most in-depth analysis of the independent operator industry today. He has a Master degree (MBA) in financial management and has been serving the industry since he and his wife came off the road in 1993. His dedication, commitment and strong opinions can be read and heard in many articles and seminars. You can find him at www.makingyourmilescount. com or 1-877-987-9787.
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Some Good News
SAFETY DAWG
Chris Harris
My last few articles have been a little bit of doom and gloom. We’ve talked about a trucking recession. We’ve discussed the effect of tariffs on our industry. Finally, we discussed a potential recession in all of Canada. To find some more positive news, I did what many people do these days, and I asked AI for some good news in TRUCKING.
AI tells me there is good news in trucking. There are signs that freight is moving once again. Perhaps this is because several companies have gone out of business and so freight is being spread among fewer trucks. I’m told that freight rates are starting to move in the right direction, meaning upwards, but this is likely a very fragile and delicate balance at this moment. But the good news is, I’ve had people tell me that freight rates have at least stabilized, and they believe rates have started to move in a positive direction.
The American Trucking Association projects growth this year of 1.6%.
That is after two years of decline. So that too is good news. I acknowledge ATA is the American side of the border but wonder, will that growth cross the border and come to Canada? That remains to be seen.
One thing for sure; here in Canada interest rates have started to come down. The Bank of Canada stated that the Canadian economy is in a strong position at the start of 2025, that inflation was under control and growth was picking up, spurring hope that Canada had avoided a recession. The Bank of Canada has reduced interest costs several times recently and this must be a great relief to all of us who borrow money. Trucking companies are certainly included with new trucks costing more than $250,000, the borrowing cost are a huge burden. With borrowing costs coming down it will have a positive impact to the bottom line of a trucking company. So that is certainly good news. And for those of us who have a mortgage, it too is great news. Our household
income will go just a little bit farther if our mortgage rate is at a lower percentage.
There are also some innovative technologies that are hitting the trucking industry. Trucks are getting better fuel economy and recently I have seen the new Volvo unit that has no exterior mirrors. The mirrors are replaced with cameras. This helps to improve fuel economy, and I was told that the cameras give a better field of vision, thus increasing safety. Of course, I’m all for increasing safety.
Some trucking companies are reporting strong internal growth. I have one customer that continues to grow in both fleet size and the number of trailers that they are utilizing. They’ve chosen to buy tractors and trailers to keep up with the growth of their company, so this is great news.
And lastly, there continues to be a need for truck drivers. With all the talk of new technologies like selfdriving trucks, we are still years away from that becoming mainstream. So, for many years yet to come, we will need operators behind the wheel and guiding these 80,000-pound units down the highway. I believe the future of truck drivers continues to be very bright.
So, as uncertain as these times are, please don’t get pulled down by all the doom and gloom. There are trucking companies that are growing and hiring. They are just a little harder to find. Your job is secure because the technology that will one day replace you is many years in the future. It could be 10 to 20 years before selfdriving trucks are perfected. So, stay positive! To help with that even more, spring and sunshine and warmer temperatures are finally here so be sure to get outside and enjoy it.
